Kingston HyperX 240GB SSD Review

There certainly has been a lot activity in the Solid State drive market recently, with every company imaginable trying to be part of the SandForce SF2281 family. Some are banking on price to woo customers, while others are relying on sheer performance or increased longevity due to the use of different NAND. What we haven’t seen yet is a combination of performance and longevity bundled with a host of accessories that are meant to enhance the user experience. That however is exactly what Kingston is aiming for with their newest line of Kingston HyperX SSDs.

This may be the first HyperX branded drive Kingston has released, but it is not their first foray into the solid state arena. They have built a sterling reputation for releasing cutting edge drives with some unique panache. Much like the Kingston SSDNow V40 we reviewed many moons ago, Kingston is taking a proactive approach to wooing enthusiast consumers with this new line. They are offering several versions of the HyperX at different price points which come with or without a full accessory package. The top of the line iteration is the “Upgrade Kit” that comes with a literal cornucopia of accessories, all designed to enhance the end user experience.

With an online price which varies from an average of $512 for the basic 240GB model to $550 for the upgrade kit, the Kingston HyperX is not exactly an inexpensive drive – great accessories or not. Nonetheless, this premium is actually par for the course for high performance SSDs sporting capacities greater than 120GB.

The HyperX 240GB comes clad in a very distinctive case. With its dark metallic gray bottom, and top clad in a classic Kingston blue background and a large silver “X”, this drive does have what it takes ascetics department.

While we would love to show you the internal architecture the HyperX comes equipped with security torx bolts and we are unable – or at the very least unwilling – to remove these bolts through force. Internally, the drive should have a very similar layout to other Sandforce-based drives with all 16 ICs populated with Intel branded 25NM NAND dual die modules and a single SF2281 controller.

Also helping to make the HyperX stand out is the accessories package which consists of either a 2.5” to 3.5” adapter (standard version) or “Upgrade Kit” version has a 2.5” to 3.5”, a SATA cable, a USB 2.0 enclosure, USB 2.0 cable, a multipurpose screwdriver and even a copy of Acronis HD migration software for transferring your OS.

By itself, this upgrade kit would certainly be unique in a sea of sameness (most competitors only include a simple adapter plate), but what really sets the Kingston HyperX apart is the NAND used within it. In the past we have looked 25nm Micron branded ONFi 1 and 2 NAND modules and even 32nm Toshiba DDR Toggle Model 1 NAND. This is however the first we have seen of Intel’s 25nm NAND used outside of an Intel branded drive. Unlike most 25nm NAND this NAND is rated for 5,000 erase cycles and not the typical 3,000 found in other devices; giving it a theoretical 40% increase in life span.